During the planning process for Plymouth Magazine’s inaugural wedding issue, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the wedding I attended this past August.
My college friends were tying the knot in Door County, Wisconsin, making the event my first destination wedding. Many of the topics I chose to explore in this issue reflect questions I’d encountered when preparing for their big day.
I enlisted the professional advice of our Noteworthy’s style contributor, Grant Whittaker, to tackle wedding guest fashion. I also wanted to explore destination celebrations from a planning perspective. It was informative to hear about Andrea and Chris Nelson’s destination reception in New England and how they helped their Midwestern contingent find their footing in Newport, Rhode Island.
At the Door County wedding, my friends wed in the backyard of the groom’s family cabin. The weather was idyllic. The ambiance was heightened by both professional and personal touches (fresh flowers on the reception tables and a dance floor handmade by the bride’s father).
When it came time to exchange rings, a hiccup occurred—the bride’s ring was nowhere to be found. Handheld fans fluttered nervously in the crowd. The best man looked desperately in the grass. Just when we were all starting to accept the catastrophe, the best man located the ring in his pocket, where it had fallen out of the pouch. Laughter sparked in the crowd as unease turned into jubilation.
No amount of planning will guarantee a “perfect” wedding day. The perfection lies in the love shared between the couple and the community that gathers in support of it.
Until next time,
—Madeline Kopiecki
